23.6 million gallons of raw sewage and billions of gallons of minimally treated sewage to the Pearl River and its tributaries in the first quarter of 2019. From Jan-March 2019, 65 separate Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO) discharges to "Waters of the State" occurred from the collection system sewer lines associated with the Savanna Street Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). In the first quarter 2019, raw sewage released from the West Bank Interceptor line totaled 23 million gallons, 4 times the total amount of raw sewage released during the entire year of 2018. Untreated sewage has flowed into most of the Jackson creeks that lead to the Pearl River, including Town, Eubanks, Belhaven, Lynch, Hanging Moss, Eastover and others.

What is a a Sanitary Sewer Overflow?A Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO) is an event in which untreated sewage is discharged from the sewage collection system into the environment prior to reaching the sewage treatment facilities. These discharges endanger human health, cause property damage, and degrade our local water quality. ​

Health impacts: Sewage spills contain bacteria, viruses, and a host of other pathogens. Health hazards range from mild gastrointestinal discomfort to more serious illnesses such as Hepatitis and Dysentery.

Environmental impacts: Spills degrade water quality by increasing the concentration of pollutants and nutrient levels which in turn decreases the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water. Low dissolved oxygen can cause fish kills and is harmful to all aquatic species. Since 1996, the entire "Jackson Segment" of the Pearl River has been listed by MDEQ as "impaired" for nutrients/organic enrichment and low dissolved oxygen. The "Jackson Segment" is not meeting even the lowest MDEQ water quality standards for aquatic life support or contact recreation. The City of Jackson is rendering this entire section of the river unusable.

What causes SSO events? The SSO events experienced by the City of Jackson collection system were caused by excessive flow, collapsed pipes, grease/fat buildup, and blockages from roots and solids. Higher than average rainfall in the first quarter of 2019 overwhelmed the system. In addition, the City of Jackson's aging sewer lines are crumbling and collapsing in many areas.

EPA Consent DecreeIn November 2012, the Jackson City Council entered into a consent decree with the EPA and MDEQ regarding operations at the Savanna Street Wastewater Treatment Plant. The consent decree required the City to pay a civil penalty of $437,916, execute a $875,000 environmental project, and overhaul its wastewater treatment plant and collection systems. The City was given 18 years to fully comply, with the vast majority of the work to be completed within the next 11 years (by 2023). The City of Jackson was required to develop prioritization work plans, rehabilitation plans, preventative maintenance programs and supplemental environmental program timelines. The City is required to submit quarterly, semi-annual and annual reports to the EPA and must publish these on their website.

In 2016, the City borrowed nearly $70 million from the MDEQ Water Pollution Control (Clean Water) Revolving Loan Fund (WPCRLF) to upgrade Trahan-Big Creek POTW and to rehabilitate the West Bank Interceptor. ​According to the most recent semi-annual report, 37% of the West Bank Interceptor has been fully rehabilitated with plans in place to rehabilitate a total of 50% by 2022, as funding is available. The Consent Decree required 20% rehabilitation by 2022.

In March 2018, the City approved $1.6 million in various emergency contracts for repairs to water lines and consent decree improvements. The money came from the water/sewer fund which would later be replenished with money from the 1-percent tax. ​

​In April 2018, the Jackson City Council approved taking out a $31 million loan through the MDEQ Water Pollution Control (Clean Water) Revolving Loan Fund (WPCRLF) Program to pay for improvements at the Savanna Street WWTP. In June 2018, the Jackson City Council voted unanimously to approve $10 million in contracts for water and sewer repairs. In June 2018, the City of Jackson submitted a Request for Proposal (RFP) from "qualified engineering firms to complete the design and assist with bidding and construction of the Savanna Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) Phase 1 improvements. The project is intended to restore operational capability and capacity of existing unit processes and systems." In August 2018, Neel-Schaffer Engineers were selected as the design consultant. The firm is now under contract with the city and expect to have Phase 1 improvements advertised for construction bids by August 2019. ​

Consent Decree Renegotiation​The City of Jackson has requested that the EPA review the Consent Decree for potential renegotiation citing lack of funding to complete the necessary requirements of the original decree. The EPA is currently working through that process. If there is a "major modification" to the Consent Decree, then the amended decree will go to public notice with an associated public comment period. Pearl Riverkeeper will keep you updated if this occurs.

Savanna Street Wastewater Treatment PlantAccording to the 2019 first quarterly report, there has been an ongoing "Prohibited Bypass" at the Savanna Street Wastewater Treatment Plant since Dec 9, 2018. A "Prohibited Bypass" occurs when the plant is overwhelmed with excessive flow, usually due to high rain events, and bypasses must occur. "All bypassed volume is chlorinated, de-chlorinated and required samples taken prior to blending with the mechanical plant effluent and subsequently discharged to the Pearl River". As of the end of the first quarter reporting period, 2.47 billion gallons of minimally treated sewage has been discharged to the Pearl River.

According to City of Jackson Sewer Overflow Response Plan, City of Jackson will issue a news release and place temporary signs in the area of the overflow whenever an overflow creates a "significant health hazard" or "significant volume has reached waters of the US and/or State". Additional notification will be considered in conjunction with MDEQ and HCHD.

In the first quarter of 2019, there were 7 SSO events that released more than 10,000 gallons of raw sewage to Jackson neighborhoods and tributaries. 4 events that released more than 100,000 gallons. And 2 events that released more than 1 million gallons of raw sewage (408 S Jefferson St).

In 2017, 2018 and 2019, zero SSO-related water contact advisories were issued for the Pearl River or its Jackson-area tributaries. In fact, the last MDEQ-issued Water Contact Advisory for the Pearl River was issued on Oct 29, 2013.

Pearl Riverkeeper finds this lack of reporting unacceptable and is working with City of Jackson Public Works to review and make changes to the current notification process. Public notification is required to protect the health of the citizens of Jackson and those who use the river.

Where have the City of Jackson 2019 SSO events occurred? ​Check out our interactive map below to find out if a SSO event occurred in your City of Jackson neighborhood. Click on the pinned locations for information about the date, location, cause of the overflow, and amount of untreated sewage released. Large Scale Map Link

The lack of public reporting AND accountability is appalling! This does not just affect our waterways and recreation, it affects what we drink!! What can we do to increase awareness and accountability?

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Abby Braman

5/8/2019 02:24:05 pm

You are so right, Camille. Pearl Riverkeeper is pushing MDEQ and City of Jackson to review and update their public notification procedures. States of Florida, Alabama, and Georgia all have laws requiring their Departments of Environmental Quality to report sewer spills on their website within 24 hours. We need more transparency for the sake of public health.

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John Irwin

5/9/2019 05:20:38 pm

The Mississippi Legislature should simply prohibit chicken producers, waste dumpers, paper mills and any other business that produces deleterious wastes from introducing any of their wastes or industry bi-products into any of Mississippi's water ways.

These companies should be required (FORCED) to introduce their by-product wastes into retention lagoons or tanks that are far removed from any creek, pond, lake or waterway and be managed as any other trash such as solid or semi-solid sewage, or hazardous waste spills from oil and gas drilling and production operations. And no grandfathering either. Put an end to it now.

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Pearl Riverkeeper is a licensed member of the Waterkeeper Alliance, the largest and fastest growing nonprofit solely focused on clean water.